Getting Extended Facebook App Permissions

Updated 1 month ago
by
Annabel Youens

After you've set up your Facebook app, you may decide that you want to gather extended permissions from your members. For example, you might want to access a list of videos your member has watched or rated.

Many permissions are not included in Facebook apps by default. To get them, Facebook requires you to fill in some additional documentation and submit it to them.

This article goes through the process of getting extended Facebook app permissions, step by step. We recommend that you set aside a couple of hours if you are doing this for the first time and you want a lot of permissions.

1. Start the Submission

2. Select Permissions

A pop-up window appears. You can use it to select the permissions that you require using the checkboxes.

We recommend the following permissions:

user_likes: This permission allows you to see what a member has liked on Facebook.

user_posts: This permission allows you see the content of your members' posts, as well as when their friends tag them.

user_birthday: This permission allows you see their birthday. This may not include their birth year, depending on their privacy settings.

user_location: This permission allows you to see a member's current city.

Of course, you can choose any extra permission you'd like. Note that you need to be able to justify each permission you require in your documentation for Facebook. Our advice is to ask for what you really need, not what you think you might want in the future.

Press the Add x Items to add the selected permissions to your submission.

3. Starting Writing a Note for the Submission

Next, you will see a page that lists all the permissions you've selected. Beside each permission, there's an Add Details link you can use to add an explanation for why you require the additional information from the member.

Each Add Details link presents a window with a form that Facebook needs you to fill out. It asks for the following information:

How is your app using this permission? (Personalized content on Facebook, gathering analytics, publishing to the member's Facebook timeline, or other.)

What platforms does your app use this permission on? (Web, mobile, and/or other.)

Step-by-step instructions that walk Facebook through how a member will see and grant this permission from your app.

In the context of Appreciation Engine, we recommend filling in your notes using the information below:

How is Your App Using x Permission?

For this part of the form, we suggest picking the "personalized experiences" answer. That is what AE is here to help you with: it creates personalized experiences for your customers, whether that is on-site or in an email.

What Platforms Does Your App Use x Permission On?

Pick your platform. Most often, you would be picking web. If you are creating a submission for a mobile app, the steps are very similar—it's just that tab that is different.

Providing Step-by-Step Instructions

You will need to write out step-by-step instructions on how your member logs into your website. Then, you need to explain how the information you're requesting from Facebook will be used for the customer.

For this part of the form, we suggest writing out the steps and talking about how the "user posts" or the "user likes" are used to create personalized content on login. You just need to guide Facebook through the process and how you intend to personalize content for your customers.

4. Add a Screencast to Your Note

There is one more step before you have finished the note for each permission. Scroll down to the bottom of the form and you will notice that you need to upload a screencast.

You can take a screencast of your live website. Like the step-by-step instructions you wrote out, show how a member logs in with Facebook. Then, show the Facebook permissions pop-up window. To the best of your ability, show how the website experience will offer personalized content to your members.

Don't worry about making it perfect. The team at Facebook just want to see what your site looks like and how their login is being implemented.

Once you've created a video file, click the Choose a file to uploadlink and select your file.

5. Save Your Note

Once the form has been filled in and your screencast has finished uploading, you can safely press the Save button at the bottom of the form.

6. Repeat the Process for All of the Permissions Your Require

Each permission you have asked for requires its own note. You will need to fill in a form and add a screencast for each of these permissions.

Note that you can usually copy and paste your step-by-step instructions and make some tweaks. And, depending on your website, you may be able to reuse your screencast for all of the permissions. Good luck!

7. Submit for Review

When you've finished adding all of the required notes, you are ready to submit.

Each of the permissions should say View Notes next to them. Once you have checked all of your notes for accuracy, you can press the Submit For Review button down at the bottom of the page.